Group seeks Ironman refund after postponed race

A cyclist whizzes through the Marcelo Fernan bridge during an Ironman event in Cebu. —TRISTAN TAMAYO/INQUIRER.NET

A group of participants of a rescheduled Ironman Philippines event is seeking a refund of registration fees amounting to over P10.5 million to, among others, help tide the athletes over while the coronavirus pandemic continues to grip the country.

Close to 300 participants, who paid over $700 (over P35,000) each, have pooled together seeking the refund, saying the new schedule of the event—in October this year—looks doubtful in light of the crippling health crisis.

“That money can be used for more urgent and pressing matters,” the group, which calls itself Ironman Philippines 2020 (One Voice of the Filipinos) told the Inquirer through a spokesperson. The group expects more athletes to seek a refund of registration fees, especially since some have already shelled out other fees due to the postponement of the event. The last confirmed schedule of the Subic race was early this month before it was moved to October.

But the group isn’t confident that the race can push through this year.

“Even the Olympics have been canceled” due to the pandemic, the group said.

“There’s still no vaccine,” added the group, which told the Inquirer that they had emailed organizers asking if they would be “liable for people who will get infected” during the race if it pushes through on October.

The group hasn’t gotten a reply yet. The Inquirer tried to reach out to Sunrise Events, the organizer of Ironman races in the country, but hasn’t received a reply as of press time.

The group said aside from the October race, organizers offered the participants slots to races in Taiwan and Malaysia, which would entail an additional round of costs. The group has sought the help of the Department of Trade and Industry and has also gotten legal advice.

More than 3,000 athletes have reportedly signed up for this year’s Subic event.